Chef, cookbook author and slow food advocate Lisa Lemke is one of Sweden’s most influential voices in sustainable eating. This fall, she brings her passion and perspective to Nordic Organic Expo where she will moderate the Food Stage – guiding conversations that celebrate organic growth and sustainability.
In the peaceful meadows of Skrea Backe, a small village in southern Sweden, chef and food visionary Lisa Lemke has created more than just a restaurant – she’s built a way of life. Tucked inside the garden of a centuries-old parsonage, her kitchen pulses with the rhythm of the seasons – honouring ingredients not just for their taste but for their story.
Lisa’s journey to this place – both literal and philosophical – began early. Raised in a family where weekends meant gardening seasonally, sourcing meat directly from farms and prioritizing home-cooked meals, she learned that food was more than just fuel. It is about connection. Even as a child, she understood that meals carried meaning.
– I was jealous of my classmates’ lunchboxes growing up, Lisa recalls with a laugh:
– But I understood early on that food isn’t just food – it’s stories, relationships and life.
Some of those lessons were bittersweet. As a young girl, Lisa spent all her spare time at a nearby farm, where she formed a close bond with two piglets. Then one day, she walked in to find them hanging from the ceiling – slaughtered. It was a moment of heartbreak but also a quiet awakening. When her mother gently said, ‘you love meatballs and little sausages – you should be grateful they were so loved and had a happy life,’ something clicked.
– I suddenly realized how it all ties together.
That early awareness – of where food comes from and of the choices involved – would become the foundation of her life’s work. Today, Lisa is one of Sweden’s most prominent advocates for sustainable and ethical food. But she doesn’t lead with rules or guilt. Her method is quieter and more powerful: she inspires.
In 2012, Lisa and her husband left city life behind and moved to Skrea Backe. Their restaurant has no set menu. Instead, the food changes daily – shaped by whatever the earth offers that week. Guests come not for specific dishes but for an experience – one rooted in trust, curiosity and delight.
– We want to educate and surprise people. That’s why we don’t hand out menus in advance. We work with what’s in season.
It’s a philosophy rooted not just in sustainability, but in connection. At the farm, Lisa still names her animals – not out of sentimentality but to instead deepen the understanding of what the cycle of life truly means. For Lisa, cooking, growing and consuming are not separate steps. They’re all part of one continuous, respectful conversation with nature.
– I really believe in the power of inspiration. We evolve when people learn in a joyful environment and it’s through pleasure that we can sneak in something enlightening.
This fall, Lisa brings her ethos to a wider stage as moderator of Nordic Organic Expo – an event that gathers crowds of changemakers, buyers, retailers and distributors from across the region. She’ll guide panels, facilitate conversations and serve as a connective thread between voices, ideas and movements.
– This event is right down my alley, Lisa says with a big smile as she continues:
– Food, health, beauty, organic and natural living are all my biggest passions in life.
Her hope is simple: to make it easier for people to care – and to act. Not through pressure, but by sparking something deeper.
– It’s not perfect, she admits:
– An organically perfect world doesn’t look like AI’s version of perfection – and that’s the point. It’s about making good, fair choices.
Because every seed – in soil or in someone’s heart – holds potential. And Lisa Lemke is in the business of helping it grow.
By Rebecca Hyde-Price Aggestam
